DA deals ANC 'cards of shame'

2004-04-10 21:38

Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance has produced a pack of playing cards that highlights the candidates on the African National Congress election lists who have "betrayed their office as public representatives".

A DA statement issued on Saturday said the pack - called the "ANC's Cards of Shame" - featured candidates who had "set back the fight against Aids, upheld human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, misused public funds and enriched themselves through the abuse of their public positions".

"Presented together these cards represent an overwhelming moral corruption within the ranks of the ANC," said the statement issued by chief campaign spokesperson Douglas Gibson.

President Thabo Mbeki appears as the Ace of Hearts, said the statement, adding that he was "the leader of the Aids denialists in the ANC".

"He believes that the link between HIV and Aids is unproven, and is (Zimbabwe President) Robert Mugabe's most important ally."

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang appears as Queen of Hearts because she is a "committed Aids denialist and flouter of court orders".

"She is a firm believer in the toxicity of anti-retroviral drugs, advocating instead a diet of crushed garlic, ginger and beetroot for those suffering from Aids," said the statement.

Also featured on the cards are New National Party leader and Western Cape premier Marthinus van Schalkwyk as the Joker "who qualifies for this position by virtue of being in bed with the ANC".

- SAPA